The present invention relates to a method of fashioning packets of cigarettes.
In particular, the present invention relates to a method by which to fashion sealed packets of cigarettes.
A typical packet of cigarettes is composed of an ordered group of cigarettes, a first sheet of soft and generally metal foil backed wrapping material enveloping the cigarettes, and a second sheet of soft wrapping material enveloping the first sheet; in this instance the packet produced is of the soft or crush type. Alternatively, the second sheet of wrapping material can be a stiff material such as cardboard, procured in the form of a diecut blank which is folded about the first wrapper to fashion a packet of the rigid type incorporating a hinged lid. The single packet of cigarettes, be it a crush or rigid type, is overwrapped in a relative sheet of transparent material, normally cellophane.RTM. or polypropylene, of which the folds are sealed to obtain a substantially airtight closure.
Packets of cigarettes are manufactured utilizing equipment that includes packaging machines, with stations by which the wrapping materials mentioned above are applied to and folded around the relative groups of cigarettes, and cellophaners comprising a feed station supplying single cellophane sheets, folding stations at which the sheets are wrapped around the packets, and sealing stations by which the folded cellophane sheets are secured.
In addition to these steps, it is customary in certain countries to affix a revenue stamp to each single packet of cigarettes before the cellophane overwrapping is applied. The stamp indicates that the packet is subject to a state excise duty in the country of sale, and remains visible through the transparent overwrapping.
Likewise in certain countries, it is the practice to insert a printed coupon into each packet. The coupon appears as a single leaf or fan-folded slip of paper, which might bear an advertising message or a collectable image, and is inserted normally between the first sheet of wrapping material and the second sheet or the cardboard blank, depending on the type of packet). It has been found that the product suffers damage when the coupon is placed in direct contact with the first sheet of wrapping material, since the inks on the printed face of the coupon give off vapors that affect the aroma of the tobacco.
Furthermore, the equipment employed typically to fashion packets with both the revenue stamp and a coupon is somewhat complex, as provision must be made for a coupon dispensing station in amongst the folding stations by which the sheets of wrapping material are flattened and secured.
Conventional packaging machinery is complicated by the inclusion of devices serving to dispense and insert the coupon, with the result that the single steps of the wrapping process are slowed down and the productivity of the system overall is reduced.
The object of the present invention is to provide a method for fashioning packets of cigarettes with respective revenue stamps and coupons and a sealed overwrapping, such as will be unaffected by the drawbacks associated with the prior art.
In particular, the object of the invention is to provide a method for fashioning sealed packets of cigarettes with corresponding revenue stamps and coupons such as can be implemented using notably simple equipment capable of high productivity.